A Lesson from the Clouds

Clouds are SO beautiful. Sometimes I neglect that beautiful creation. I'm so concerned with what's right in front of me I forget to look up and notice the poof-balls. But when I finally do take some time to truly bask in their majesty, it's always a treat. God was so good to us to provide us with an environment that is not only safe, but gorgeous.

So anyways....About clouds... They kind of remind me of life in general. I remember the first time I ever flew in an airplane. I was SO excited for the whole endeavor. I was most excited to fly through a cloud, though. I guess I thought it would be like flying through cotton balls. But you know what I saw when I looked out that little oval-like window in the plane?

Fog. Ugh. A cloud is nothing more than dense, grey, NOTHING when you're in it! Talk about a bummer. But that's how life kind of is, isn't it? Say the cloud is your life. It's whatever you're going through right now. When you're in it, you can't see the beginning or end. You don't know what it looks like from afar and you definitely don't seemed "awed" by the inner workings or supposed beauty of the cloud.
But you know what people on the ground see?

THIS!!

Clouds were really meant to be seen as part of a bigger picture. As a person and a Christian, most of the time I feel like my life is seen by others as more of a fog than a beautiful cloud. I shouldn't though! Because if you're a Christian, you have the benefit of Christ being on your side, with you always, and (ideally) ever-present in your thoughts and actions. He is the Light and in Him there is no darkness. Clouds get DRASTICALLY more beautiful when the light is shining through them. So press on. Though some times it's seems like your life may not be the greatest testimony of the One you serve, maybe you're just too close up to see Christ shining beautifully through you. 


Matthew 5:14-16
 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Suffocation via Fashion

It's been a while, but I'm drawn back to the blogging world for the same reason I wrote my last blog...to vent about getting rid of clothing. Lately I have been feeling suffocated. Suffocated by things in our apartment, by preoccupations in my mind, and by obligations. We, as a society, tend to feel like more is always better and I'm starting to yearn for the simplicity of having less. People in Bible times lived w/ less (WAY less) and had fulfilling lives. Maybe I would be closer to God if I got rid of the clutter (physical and mental) and regained my focus.

So anyways....I say all this to say that I stumbled across a "minimalist" blog called "Be More with Less." She talks about minimizing clutter in ALL aspects of life. But where to start? She wrote a blog about minimizing our wardrobe. Drastically. And I mean DRASTICALLY. Down to 33 pieces...and that includes clothing, accessories, outerwear, shoes, and jewelry. See the link below for more info on that. 

http://bemorewithless.com/2010/quick-start-guides-for-project-333/

I'm not even remotely insane enough to think that I could accomplish that, but I did want to see how many unnecessary pieces of clothes I could get rid of. So last night I purged. And it was painful! Why is it so difficult to get rid of clothes I hardly ever or NEVER wear?? Ugh. I found that there are a few different reasons why it's hard to let go of clothing. 

1.) The item represents how I would like to view myself.
      For example, thinner, taller, bustier....whatever.
2.) The item holds emotional value
      For example, I never wear it anymore, but I wore it as cover up on our honeymoon. It symbolizes great memories!

3.) The item has never been worn! You hate to admit that it was a TOTAL wrong decision...so you keep it in your closet for months and months till an appropriate amount of time has passed so that you can get rid of it without feeling like it was useless (even though it was).
     For example....this pink shirt that never ever fit correctly (purchased just a few months ago) and a pair of shorts...w/ the tag still on them!

4.) They're ancient.
     I have had this "Janna's school of Dance" t-shirt since 5th grade and the white youth rally shirt since 2000. These shirts are over a decade old. They're practically vintage! 

5.) They represent a part of who you were.
     I loved being in a social club in college. However, there are not a lot of places where I feel like it would be appropriate to wear a GTO jersey. Actually, I can't think of anywhere except Freed. But I love(d) my kelly green and royal blue apparel because it represented Warrior pride and some of the most fun times I had w/ my friends. Alas...there are no social clubs at work these days. Not officially, anyways.

6.) I think I'll need them eventually.
     Like my dress clothes. I dress up for church once a week. That leaves a lot of business-y dress clothes high and dry. I think, "I don't have a job where I have to dress up for work now, but I might someday!" Yeah...right. It's been 6 years of working without dressing up. And if I do happen to eventually get a "fancy" job, I doubt my style will be the same.

I wore this little skirt-suit thingy once. In three years. The odds are not in its favor.

And what about this little number? Only worn ONCE! Jk! I'm not getting rid of the w-dress!

I felt like I got rid of SO much stuff (65 items) but I couldn't even tell a difference by looking in my closet and drawers! My ultimate goal is to be able to get rid of my dresser (it's crappy anyways) and to fit all of my clothes in my closet (on only MY side, Rett would prefer). Not only that, but I'd like to be able to thumb through them with ease....not have to push and push on them to see what lies behind each hanger like you have to do at Goodwill. 

There's no telling how many items I have if getting rid of 65 didn't even make a dent. It's embarrassing, really. I haven't given up yet, though. Being more w/ less might take a while, but I'm determined to make some wiggle room in my life and in my closet...starting with one pair of jeans at a time.

My "ditch it" pile. Only the beginning, let's hope.

Retirement of the Traveling Pants

Have you ever had a favorite item of clothing that you just, like, DESTROYED because you wore it vigorously for so long? Well, I've had several, but the top three that come to mind are the three pairs of jeans I brought with me to Europe when I went abroad in college. Three months...three pairs of jeans. You do the math. That's a LOT of wear and tear (on pants that were already worn out because -duh- they were already my favorites). So, long story short, the first two ripped (butt cheek in one pair, crotch in the other.....lovely. Non-repairable, for sure). This past month my last pair of traveling jeans finally bit the dust. I'm telling you... I about cried. Oh these pants have been everywhere with me. So, to ease in the closure process, please join me on this trip down memory lane. I guess you can think of this as jean eulogy.

A tribute to the traveling jeans:

These jeans aided me in holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa...

I was wearing them when I devoured my first authentic Belgian Waffle (though at that point in time they may have gotten a smidge tighter)

 I wore them when I met this drunk fellow at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

These pants have been worn at the real Parthenon as well as the replica in Nashville.

And on Mars Hill, where Paul delivered one of his most famous lessons of the Bible.

I was wearing them when I met these guys in Italy and also when I was blessed by the Pope (in an intimate setting of only a couple hundred thousand) ;-)

In the Coliseum... 

And in good ol' Tennessee, catching fish with Rett.

It's been real, Silver jeans. And it has been fun. But it's time to say farewell. I found some AE jeans that look like they might be up for the challenge of traveling the world with me in all my many adventures for the next 5 years or so. Rest in pieces, jeans. Rest in pieces. 

Romance in a Carton

I have a wonderful husband whom I love very, very much.

Currently, he's away with his family camping. It's been different being in the apartment by myself....every night...for like 5 nights. Let's just say, I'm ready for him to be home again. Miss him. So, the timing of finding this odd, romantic guesture was just perfect. Making french toast for myself today, all alone, and I open up the eggs to find this:

"I love you, baby."

Sometimes, when you're married to someone with a sense of humor, you can find love in the strangest of places.

A Shower for Baby Ava

As I predicted, blogging is harder to keep up with than I figured. Time gets away from me, but oh well. I am home now and I shall blog! I went "home" (I know, it gets confusing having 2 homes) to Nebraska last week to visit my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. It was SO nice to be back and I got to enjoy some much-needed quality time w/ the fam. I also got to enjoy a lovely baby shower for my future niece, Ava Marie! Glad I could be there for that, since I haven't been around for any of the pregnancy and won't be there for the birth either. :-(


Here are a few of the pics from the shower. :-)

I made this diaper cake with my mom for Matteal. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I thought it turned out nice for a centerpiece-like thing. Wally, our cat, also enjoyed the making of the diaper cake. He looked particularly comfortable in the Huggies box.

 I also made this crayon craft for Ava's room. It was tedious, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

The cupcakes and cake were made by a small, new bakery in Auburn, NE and were SO cute! Teal decorated the nursery with purple ladybugs and butterflies and these sweets accented the party perfectly! I heard they were delicious, too! Some kind of complicated and sinfully good chocolate, I believe.

We played baby bingo...

And this super fun game "Who will the baby look like?" It was SO fun. We got to cut up printed out pictures of my brother and of Teal and try to mix and match their features to make up some kind of guess as to what Ava might look like. Needless to say, some of the pictures displayed some pretty creepy versions of Ava!

Teal picking out the winner...

Let's HOPE Ava doesn't end up looking like this!

Or this, for that matter!

There was one precious newborn baby in attendance at the shower. Here's a snapshot of Grandma Chapin practicing for the arrival of Ava. Even after 24 years, she's a natural!



Music City, USA---Nashville Music Rocks

There are MANY reasons to love Nashville, but the music scene has got to be reason #1! I sometimes get annoyed when people assume that Nashville only has a country music scene to offer. Of course, there are MANY opportunities to hear country music here, but there are also many opportunities to hear GOOD music, as well! haha…Just kidding, country fans. Well, partially kidding. ANYWAYS, what I mean to say is that Nashville has all kinds of music to offer and it is oftentimes free.

Rett and I love going to free shows! Right now, there are two, free, musical events that take place on a weekly basis. Thursday nights are Live on the Green. This show takes place downtown on the courthouse lawn from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Los Lonely Boys headlined last week and next week the headliner is Robert Randolph and the Family Band. (Although I am MUCH more excited for the opening act, MOON TAXI!!) The other show is Musician’s Corner, which features up and coming local bands in Centennial Park from 3-6 p.m. on Saturdays. Both are outdoor events and are 100% free. Rett and I usually pack a picnic lunch (or dinner) and have some pretty awesome free dates every week!

Live on the Green on the Courthouse Lawn

Musician's Corner-Centennial Park

Now, I am stereotyping here, but it seems that the same types of people come to all of these shows. There are, of course, exceptions to the rules, but here are the categories of people that stick out to me.

*Hipsters—You know who I’m talking about. The horn-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, boots, scarves, and slouchy-hat-wearing trend-setters trend-followers we all know and love so much. They walk around like they’re on the runway at these events. Sometimes I’m not sure if they come to see or to BE seen.

*Dog-lovers—Since both of these shows are outside, dogs are welcomed…even encouraged! At times it almost feels a bit like a dog show. Nashville-ians take any excuse they can to show off their canine friends (or in the case of this picture, their miniature ponies!)

*The Babysitter’s Club—This group involves parents who bring their children to the show in hopes that the crowd and the music will act as a babysitter for their energetic children. These would be the kids who run (or crawl) around, yelling and tripping most people within a five foot radius. The parents are the ones with their eyes glued to the show who obviously believe that kidnapping could never take place in a crowd. (Note: There are also many functional families with responsible parents who attend the shows. Of course!)

Super cute little boy at the last Musician's Corner, under the watch of a friendly, orange balloon.

*Smokers- I’m not even sure if the people in this category like music…I think they’re just excited to be able to go out somewhere with their friends where they can pollute the air in peace.

*The “Too-Old-For-This” Crew—I suppose you’re never too old to enjoy free music. I know I’ll still be doing it years from now. However, this miscellaneous category involves 50-year-old women wearing spaghetti strap and/or see-through shirts and men still in their hippie garb from the 70s.

*The “I-Just-Wanna-Dance” bunch—Or maybe it should be “I-Just-Wanna-Move,” because I’m not entirely convinced that dancing is exactly what they are doing. This category is oftentimes closely linked to the abovementioned crew. Just the people you want to see dancing, right?

Meet Rico. This guy (who, if I'm not mistaken, is homeless) dances at EVERY Musician's Corner for the full 3 hours, taking NO breaks. This is one dancer that everyone can't help but love. Up until this past weekend, Rett and I always reverently referred to him as Beavertail because we didn't know his name.

Can you see why?

*Cheapskates—These are the people who don’t get out of the house or do anything unless it’s FREE.

So that's the general breakdown. If you want to check out the Live on the Green schedule, you can find it at http://www.liveonthegreen.net/schedule and the Musician's Corner schedule is at http://www.musicianscornernashville.com/#/calendar

Oh, and lastly as well as randomly, Rett and I went to the Parthenon (since we were in Centennial Park anyways) last Saturday. I just love that building. In some ways, it's almost more majestic than the real Parthenon because we get to see it in all it's glory, as they might have seen it years and years ago.

The Second Best Thing about Wednesdays

I attend a pretty kickin' ladies Bible study on Wednesday nights, so that takes the cake for "Best-Wednesday-Thing." The girls are amazing, the support and comradery is needed, and it acts as a necessary mid-week encouragement for yours truly.

HOWEVER, a close second is.............Publix!

Wednesday is my day to shop at Publix and it truly is a pleasure. I clip my coupons Tuesday night and roll into Publix when I get off work on Wednesday afternoon (feeling like I'm totally cheating on Wal-Mart). I just love Publix so much. Here's just a few of the reasons why:

*The whole store, as far as grocery stores go, is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I mean, c'mon...they STACK their cucumbers for crying out loud! If that doesn't scream "labor of love," I don't know what does!

*They double coupons under .50! Double savings? Yes, please!

*No associate there has ever rolled their eyes at me or told me "I don't know" when I ask them a question. If they don't know, they find out so that they will know.

*They bag your groceries for you, no questions asked. Even better, they bag them WELL! In a manner that actually makes sense! Like, no random shampoo bottles in with my refridgerated items, even though I clearly seperated them on the conveyer belt.

*They offer to take your groceries out to your car for you. Though I never take them up on it, I do appreciate being asked.

*Oh! I love the Penny Item. Today it was coffee. :-) .1! For real! Ok, so yeah, I don't technically drink coffee, but I do have a friend in mind. 

*Their Buy One, Get One (B1G1) deals are incredible! Yes, a typical trip to Publix for full on shopping could be a down payment on a 2012 Camry, but I only shop the sales and I make out like a bandit.

I just want to put a disclaimer on this post, in case your mind has coming to conclusions of its own....I am NOT an extreme couponer. I am not this lady:

I'm a mild couponer (who wouldn't mind taking on your coupons if you don't utilize them *wink wink*). I attended a coupon class and it was helpful. I do enjoy saving money. Why not make it a mini-hobby? Couponing has saved me money and introduced my to the wonder that is Publix. Can't hate that.